Davangere University, Shivagangothri, Davangere

Location

State : Karnataka

City : Davanagere

Status : Public University

This is one of the youngest affiliating types of Universities in Karnataka. It has a jurisdiction of two Districts viz., Davangere and Chitradurga and headquartered at Davangere. Davangere which was part of Chitradurga District became a separate district on 15th August 1997 and is emerging as an important educational centre besides being a well known commercial and industrial town in Karnataka.

Davangere University prior to its establishment functioned as a Post-Graduate Centre of the University of Mysore from 1979 to 1987. Later, with the establishment of Kuvempu University in 1987, the P.G. Center came under the jurisdiction of the new university due to its geographical location and hence functioned as its P.G. Centre from 1987 to 2009.

Davangere University was established (with a Gazette Notification from the Government of Karnataka) on 18th August 2009 by being carved out of Kuvempu University with a purpose and vision to meet the educational aspirations of the people of this region. The university has 112 Colleges affiliated to it in total, with one Constituent College and one Autonomous College, offering Graduate and Post-Graduate programmes in various disciplines catering to the educational needs of more than 60,000 students.

Davangere and Chitradurga Districts are centrally located in the State of Karnataka on NH-4. Davangere is very well connected by road and railways (with a distance of 265 kms road, and 327 kms by railways) from Bangalore, the state capital of Karnataka. Shivagangotri, the main campus of the University is located at about 10 kms from Davangere on SH-76 (Biruru-Sammasgi) off NH-4 (Pune-Bangalore) at Bada Cross and is about 60 kms from Chitradurga. The conveyances to reach the campus include both government and private bus services, and there is a railway station near the campus in Tholahunse village. The sprawling 73 acres campus is free from pollution and hustle and bustle of the city. The greenery on campus adds to its ambiance.

The University has four Faculties viz., (i) Arts, (ii) Science & Technology, (iii) Commerce & Management, and (iv) Education. It has 20 Post-Graduate Departments of Studies and Research on the main campus offering 22 Post-graduate Programmes and a few Diploma Courses. The university intends to introduce few more Post-Graduate Programmes and Diploma Course from the academic year 2013-2014, and is working towards introducing more number of inter-disciplinary, job-oriented and socially relevant courses in the years to come.

The University College of Visual Arts, a Constituent College of the University offers Foundation Course for two years, Bachelors’ programme for three years and Masters’ Degree Programmes for 2 years with specialization in Applied Art, Painting and Sculpture. From the academic year 2012-2013, the college has switched over to annual scheme from semester due the nature of the programme and to be on par with UGC pattern for Art Colleges. The syllabus has been thoroughly restructured and revised and was implemented from the year 2012-2013.

The University endeavours to see that the students develop a holistic, humane and sustainable development oriented approach towards life and living. The focus of the university is to have an inclusive approach towards enhancing the access, equity and quality in higher education. Besides this, the core approach is to work towards generation, integration, dissemination, and absorption of relevant up-to-date knowledge, and thus create competitive youth force to meet the regional, national and global needs and challenges. The university has a distinctive academic profile, integrating commitment and excellence in higher education to fulfil the needs of the contemporary society and social ethos of the region. High calibre faculty with their dedication and support are working with dogged determination to realise the goals and aspirations of the university.